Attorney General Allyson Maynard-Gibson has boosted her stock as a frontline politician with her firm handling of the Samuel ‘Ninety’ Knowles extradition issue, a former US envoy said yesterday.
In fact, Mrs Maynard-Gibson has emerged as a possible future prime minister because of her “no nonsense” approach, said Richard Blankenship, who was US ambassador in Nassau for two years.
“Allyson may have set the stage for her becoming deputy prime minister,” said Mr Blankenship. “She has certainly shown leadership qualities and a capacity to make difficult decisions.”
Declaration
Mr Blankenship said Mrs Maynard-Gibson’s early declaration that Knowles must be sent to the States demonstrated a “political awareness” that would serve her well.
“She no doubt saw that Knowles could be a political anchor round her party’s neck at election time. This also means the FNM will not be able to tie the PLP to the drug problem.”
Knowles, described as a “cocaine kingpin” by President George W Bush, was whisked out of the Bahamas on Monday after a top-secret operation involving the US Drug Enforcement Agency.
The Privy Council’s recent rejection of his appeal was seen by observers as his last real chance of staying in the Bahamas.
However, several weeks elapsed before Knowles was removed from Fox Hill Prison, where he had been remanded for six years, and put on a plane to Miami.
And Mrs Maynard-Gibson is being credited with putting pressure on Cabinet colleagues – especially Foreign Affairs Minister Fred Mitchell – to ensure the formal papers were signed promptly.
“I am sure as a country we are very pleased at the level of co-operation that the Bahamas has demonstrated,” said Mr Blankenship.
“It has been a long journey, but we are happy to see it finally culminate in Knowles standing before the bar of justice.” Mr Blankenship said the US now looked forward to the extradition of other suspected drug dealers from the Bahamas. “With more expeditious extraditions, people will learn that there is a price to pay for transgressing the laws of the Bahamas and United States. “Many families and lives have been harmed by the effect of narcotics and there are no words to describe the adverse effect they have on the morals of the nation, not only the Bahamas but the US as well.”
Mr Blankenship said Mrs Maynard-Gibson had placed herself in “the front-runner’s position” and “made a very strong political statement” by calling for Knowles extradition.
“It may very well have put her on the top rungs of the PLP leadership,” he said.
Meanwhile, reports that security has been stepped up around Mrs Maynard-Gibson and Mr Mitchell as a result of the extradition decision brought a warning from the ex-ambassador.
Any attempt by drug interests to harm any Bahamas minister or government official would provoke even more intense scrutiny from the US, he said.
Additional resources from the DEA and other agencies would be applied to the Bahamas drug scene, he said.
It would be a “big mistake” for anyone to try to harm any government representative in the aftermath of the Knowles decision, he added.
“Nothing is going to stop the Bahamas and US from enforcing the drug laws,” he said, “Any attempt to harm a minister or official could very easily intensify our efforts.”
The US wants Knowles and other Bahamian suspects to face several drug charges relating to cocaine trafficking.
Source: The Tribune
